Capital, court meeting.
Emperor Jing sat on the dragon chair with a gloomy expression.
Yang Yingcai, a Hanlin scholar, knelt on the ground.
The ministers below all had expressionless faces and said nothing.
The news about Jianjiang Mansion and the other two mansions finally came back, and countless courtiers were shocked!
For such a big event, the emperor actually issued the decree directly without discussing it with the officials?
Absolutely ridiculous! If this continues, won't the imperial court become His Majesty's sole proprietor?
Then what do you need the officials to do? Standing as a decoration?
So in time for the court meeting the next day, the Hanlin Academy undoubtedly fired the first shot.
The emperor's order to build civil works in the disaster-stricken areas when the food disaster is widespread is simply chilling.
This is not the way of a benevolent king! It has only been a few years since I served the world, but I am so proud that I have become like this?
Isn't this a sign of a faint king? Has His Majesty begun not to pay attention to state affairs?
Yang Yingcai knelt on the ground and kept saying:
"How brave I am! Your Majesty's decree has not been approved by the cabinet. It is too hasty!"
"I hope your majesty will take back his life! This will prevent the world from being devastated!"
Emperor Jing's heart was full of helplessness. I will take responsibility for his son's mistakes! I can’t say it was the prince who did it!
But you can’t lose your own face.
Dilemma! When that bastard comes back, he must be beaten to death!
Emperor Jing looked at the ministers below and said calmly: "The decree came from me and did not go through the cabinet."
"Why, can it be that my golden words cannot be carried out without the cabinet?"
Yang Yingcai raised his head and said loudly: "Your Majesty! Don't you discuss such important matters with the court officials?"
"People are already living in a world of fire and water! Wouldn't the massive construction projects now waste more money and waste more money?"
"If the local cruel officials force the people to work and there is no food supply, this is the government forcing the people to rebel!"
"I hope your Majesty will take back his life!"
There was a crash, and a large number of Hanlin in the palace knelt down, while the other ministers were still silent.
Emperor Jing suddenly became angry, stood up and said angrily: "Stop! Yang Yingcai, you are so brave!!"
"Are you trying to say that I am cruel and cruel to the people!"
Yang Yingcai frowned and said, "I don't dare... It's just that the people are bound to be in dire straits. The imperial court has ordered to stabilize prices and regulate food supply."
"Why bother?"
Emperor Jing's face turned red from suppressing his emotions.
For a moment, I didn't know how to refute him, so I sat back bitterly.
He closed his eyes and calmed down for a while, then sighed: "Everyone, get up."
"Zhang Shi, I ask you, how much money is left in the Treasury of the Ministry of Revenue?"
Zhang Shi said nervously when he came out of the queue: "Fifty thousand taels... there are still some."
Emperor Jing slowly opened his eyes: "The land of the Three Prefectures has asked the court for money several times. Is five hundred thousand taels enough? How much more will be distributed?"
Zhang Shi only felt that his scalp was numb, but he did not expect that the flames of war would reach his side: "Fifty thousand taels... is not enough. There is a lot of money needed in various places across the country. If all are approved... it will affect the overall situation."
"Oh, yes, so you all just ask me for money. My internal funds have been emptied and I have no money left!"
"How much food have been collected locally in the past few days?! I'm afraid it's not as much as what Fang Zhengyi raised in the capital in one day!" Emperor Jing's face was full of indignation.
The sales of lottery tickets and tea have also declined, and the thoughtful memorials have disappeared. The days when Fang Qing is away are uncomfortable!
The rest of this group of people either ask questions or ask for money every day!
If the household department has no money, ask me for it! At the end of the day, the money I finally saved was emptied out again!
But what can be done! Do you want the world to rot?
The ministers also looked downcast, why did they mention Fang Zhengyi again.
That bastard is gone, and everyone can finally live a comfortable life for a few days.
He is quick to raise food, but he will take my skin off!
Are you going to let people live?
"Why do I want to build fortifications in the Three Prefectures? It's not because I have no money and no food!"
"Even if we have enough money and food, it will take a lot of time to mobilize supplies. Can you afford to wait? Can the victims afford to wait?"
"Local officials and the people must find ways to save themselves. That's the right way to go!"
"The best way at the moment is to use the help of the government and wealthy households to provide relief through work, and to recruit more victims!"
"This is a helpless move! I had no intention of issuing this decree, but...a group of incompetent people! Alas..."
Emperor Jing leaned back, looked up to the sky and sighed.
Ah this?
The ministers were dumbfounded. Why did they change their offensive? The shit basin is now on my head? When did Your Majesty become like this!
"Your Majesty! Everyone knows about the work-for-relief scheme, but who can guarantee that there will be no problems!"
"If it fails and public dissatisfaction boils over, who will bear the consequences? The only ones who will suffer are the ordinary people!"
"This move is against the harmony of heaven. I hope His Majesty will rescind it!"
Emperor Jing's mouth was filled with bitterness.
Yes, everything you said is right, so what can I do? Now that things are like this, the only hope is that the local government can achieve results.
If it fails, Qianqiu will be infamous!
Emperor Jing shook his sleeves and said angrily: "Is it against the harmony of heaven? I am heaven! This matter remains to be observed and there is no need to discuss it further!"
"..." The ministers were silent.
Are you the god? You are the emperor!
If you chat like this, everyone will have nothing to say.
Li Yansong glanced at the original position of the prince from time to time.
He has been in contact with Emperor Jing for many years and has a deep understanding of Emperor Jing's behavior.
There is absolutely no way Your Majesty would do such a thing.
As for the prince, he had not appeared in the court for a long time and seemed to have disappeared.
All the pavilion elders had an idea in their minds.
The prince's temperament was already wild, and the wildness in Fangzheng area made him even more wild. In addition, he had mentioned the idea of working for relief several times.
Now that the prince has been missing for so long and his majesty has behaved so abnormally, there is only one possibility... the prince is trying to correct his call!
But no one spoke up, as it would be extremely disrespectful and shocking to the world.
So when discussing this matter this time, everyone remained silent in a tacit agreement.
When Yang Yingcai jumped out, he just replied that he had not received permission from the cabinet.
Now the situation has reached a deadlock, the officials are on their knees, and His Majesty has begun to act rogue.
As the chief minister of the cabinet, Li Yansong naturally could not continue to watch the show, so he could only say helplessly: "I think what your majesty said is reasonable!"
Emperor Jing's eyes lit up, like a man caught in the water catching a piece of driftwood, and he said: "Master Li is old enough to seek the country, please tell me!"
"Thank you, Your Majesty, the current so-called disaster relief method still uses the old method."
"This has been the case since ancient times. Giving money when there is no money, and giving food when there is a shortage of food. Although it has a slight effect, the court is really unable to do what it can."
“The work-for-relief method has been documented for a long time and has extraordinary effects, but it has never been used on a large scale.”
"It stands to reason that at this time of great disaster, labor costs are the lowest, and the court uses the least money to do the most things. It is extremely convenient to mobilize people's power. It is the time for large-scale construction projects!"
"It is not easy for the Ministry of Household Affairs and local governments to spend money. When the disaster situation eases, it will be really difficult if we want to build again."
"Therefore, the imperial court encourages the construction of civil engineering works. I think this is the best of both worlds."
.........
Now I have a thumbtack stuck on my head, and I use my head to code words, asking for a five-star review! state! state! Bang....∞....
